My So Called Haven
by EcoSeeker247
Summary: After the Rift Rider incident, Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Samos are separated, but what happens to Keira over the next two years?  What causes her to change?  And will she forget about everything that's important to her?  *TPL and Jak II spoilers!*
1. The Push of a Button

Well, this is my latest idea for a story! I know it seems like I'm writing a lot of stories these days, but I'm currently suffering from writer's block on "Blood of the Hora Quan" and a very minor case of it on "Haven High", so I thought this would take it off my mind! I'll be updating Haven High as soon as I can, but for now, here's this story.

So I've always been wondering what happened to Keira in the two years in between The Precursor Legacy and Jak II, as well as why she was so cold to Jak. For a while, I was anti-Keira because I didn't like how she treated Jak in Jak II, but after replaying the games and doing some thinking, I changed my mind. What she went through in the two years without Samos, Jak, and Daxter was probably frightening and lonely, and that had to change her a lot. Nobody knows what she's been through, so this is only my take on what could have happened to her to change her so fast. She still isn't my favorite character in the series, but I've gone back to supporting Jak/Keira as opposed to Jak/Ashelin. Don't forget to read and review! And enjoy! As always, I'll accept constructive criticism (but not flames).

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

If I had known what would happen at the push of a button (literally), I would have suggested we all back out. But I suppose we couldn't fight the fates, could we?

The gentle breeze from Sentinel Beach blew over me as I sat on the beautiful, white sand and gazed out into the ocean. Next to me on both sides were my two best friends and heroes, Jak and Daxter. They were lying back in the sand after saving the world from Gol and Maia and finding the Rift Rider in their Citadel. My father, Samos, the Green Eco Sage, had informed us earlier today that we would test the Rift Rider out first thing tomorrow morning, but for now, Jak and Daxter were allowed to rest.

"Ahh, this is the life!" Daxter piped up from my left. I glanced over at him, taking in his new ottsel appearance, which had begun this whole adventure in the first place. I was surprised at his decision to remain an ottsel, considering how self-centered he could be sometimes. Even though he was offered the chance to change back with the Light Eco, he had given it up in order to be a hero, earning my respect.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked playfully, scratching him behind his ears.

"Grandpa Green didn't think Jak and I would be heroes!" Daxter explained, "And we proved ourselves! Right, Jak?"

I glanced over at Jak on my right side. Jak, who was the silent hero in all of this. He was gazing up at the sunset above our heads and smiling as always. He turned his gaze to ours and nodded, his blue eyes meeting mine. For the longest time, I had had a crush on him. He was the only one in Sandover that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. We had almost kissed, too, at the Citadel, but Daxter interrupted that, like he always did.

Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to hear Jak speak, but at the same time, I knew it was near impossible. He was mute. He had been like that for his whole life, but it didn't matter to me; I could still understand his nonverbal gestures all the same. "We better spend this day to the fullest," I told him, "Before we test the Rift Rider tomorrow. What do you think we're going to find with it?" Jak shrugged, but I could see the excited look in his eyes.

"Maybe some nice babes!" Daxter answered, "Or a nicer version of Samos!"

Jak chuckled quietly, and I replied, "I don't think you'll find that. Daddy does like you, you know."

"Well, he sure has a funny way of showing it!" I laughed, too, this time.

As the sky continued to darken until it was getting closer to nighttime, we played a guessing game on what we would find in the Precursor Ring near the lab, but none of us came even close to what we _would _actually find.

Once it was getting dark and the temperature was starting to drop, we got up from the sand, brushed ourselves off, and headed back up the boardwalk to go home. Once Jak and Daxter dropped me off at my house, I turned around to face them with a proud smile on my face. I was glad to be by their side in their adventures.

"Good night, Daxter. Good night, Jak," I whispered, hugging both of them, but not letting go of Jak for a long time.

"Good night, babe!" Daxter replied, and Jak smiled again, his eyes twinkling as he grinned again. I turned around, went back in my hut, and immediately made for my bedroom upstairs. Daddy was already asleep from the snoring I caught in the room next to the bathroom, but I was far too excited to sleep. Instead, I opened my window and peered outside, glancing at all corners of the village. This was the only home I had known, and I was not anxious to leave it anytime soon. Only time would tell what our futures would be, so after mentally taking a picture of Sandover, I finally gathered the nerve to lay down, close my eyes, and sleep.

* * *

"Keira!" Daddy shouted, knocking on my door, "Keira! It's time to wake up! We're going to test the Rift Rider today!"

_Oh, Precursors, _I thought to myself, groaning as I opened my eyes. "Already?" I cried back, "It's the crack of dawn!"

"We've got to move it from the garage to the lab!"

"All right, I'm up!" I tiredly hopped out of bed, brushed my teeth, took a quick shower, and pulled on my clothes. From downstairs, I could smell a delicious breakfast cooking, which surprised me. Since when did Daddy cook?

"Go get Jak and Daxter!" he told me, "We'll have to eat up before this!" My stomach rumbled, and I agreed with him. As soon as I left the hut and crossed the bridge into the village, I already spotted Jak and Daxter, and I wondered who served as the alarm clock this time. _Probably Jak, _I thought with a giggle.

"Good morning!" I greeted, "Daddy cooked breakfast for us!"

"No!" Daxter gasped, "_Samos _cooking any type of _food_? This has got to be a big occasion, then."

"Exactly what I said," I agreed, smiling at Jak, whose eyes lit up at the mere mention of food. Nobody knew it, but he could eat!

We all reentered the hut and sat down to a rather large breakfast. "So, what's the occasion, Grandpa Green?" Daxter asked through a mouthful of eggs.

I looked up in anticipation, waiting for Daddy to yell at the ottsel like he always did, but today, he was much quieter. "As soon as we're finished eating, we'll be testing out the Rift Rider," he explained, "We'll have to be careful in moving it. We don't want anything to happen to it."

Jak and I glanced at each other as we noticed how my father conveniently avoided Daxter's question. We wondered what that was all about. Better yet, did we want to know?

As soon as we finished eating, we cleared the dishes and walked over to the garage, where the Rift Rider was waiting for us. "Think you can handle it, Jak?" Daxter teased, and Jak stuck his tongue out at his friend. He moved to one side while Daddy went to the other, and together, the two of them lifted the machine.

"Wait!" I cried, "What if we used my A-Grav Zoomer to tow it all the way to the lab? You two shouldn't have to carry it all the way there!"

"Good idea," Daddy said, and I powered up my prized possession. My father and Jak still held onto it as we towed it to the lab, but as soon as we situated it on the boardwalk, we positioned it in front of the Precursor Ring in front of us, which Jak was staring at with an excited look on his face.

The sun was just starting to rise in the distance, and another sea breeze washed over us as we fell silent. Daddy walked over to the edge of the pier and stared out at the water in front of us before turning around again.

"Today's the big day, Jak!" he exclaimed excitedly, "I hope you are prepared for whatever happens."

"I think I've figured out most of this machine," I announced as we all took our seats, "It interacts somehow with that large Precursor ring. I just hope we didn't break anything moving it here to the lab."

"Easy for you to say!" Daxter piped up, "We did all the heavy lifting!" Daxter reached out to press a button, but Daddy stopped him.

"Daxter!" he chided, "Don't touch anything! Though the Precursors vanished long ago, the artifacts they left behind can still be used for great harm."

"Or great good," I added as Jak and Daxter rolled their eyes at Daddy's usual lectures about the Precursors, "If you figure out how to use them."

"I've had experience with such things," my father said, "I know you can make it work."

Jak looked down at an artifact that was lodged into the Rift Rider, reached out, and pressed it.

"Looks like Jak's still got the mojo!" Daxter complimented as Jak beamed. I, however, was looking at another artifact.

"Interesting," I mused, "It appears to be reading some preset coordinates." Suddenly, the ground shook around us as the Rift Ring activated itself, hovered in the air, and turned the sky purple. Streaks of purple light shot into the sky around it.

"Wow," Daxter gasped, "Look at that!"

At that moment, strange, flying creatures appeared from the Rift Ring as an ominous voice announced, "_Finally, the last Rift Gate has been opened!_" The winged beasts multiplied and swarmed around the four of us. I ducked my head as one narrowly missed scratching my cheek, and my heart began to race. What had we done? What was going on?

"Ahh!" Daxter screamed, "What are those things?" _That's what I'd like to know, _I thought as I swatted at another one that flew too close for comfort.

"So this is how it happened…" I heard Daddy mutter to himself. That was obviously something we weren't supposed to hear, but I caught it all the same. How did what happen? Did he know _this _would happen? Was that why he cooked breakfast this morning? There were so many questions in my head, but what happened next quieted me down instantly.

At that moment, another creature appeared in the Rift Ring; it had a hideous face, claws, wings, and sharp teeth. It swept its gaze over all of us until it found Jak.

"_You cannot hide from me, boy!_" it boomed, smiling at a frightened Jak.

"Do something, Jak!" I cried. We had never seen something like that before, and I wanted it out of the picture. _Now. _

"What does this button do?" Daxter shouted in panic, "Uhh, what about this one? Everyone, push all the buttons!" Jak pressed a button and sent the Rift Rider through the gate with a burst of acceleration as we nearly missed getting swiped at.

As we traveled through the purple path, I gasped and asked, "What _was_ that thing?" I had hoped never to see something like that in my life again.

"Hang on, everyone!" Daddy warned as the Rift Rider picked up speed. We continued to move ever faster until the machine started to shake. I grabbed onto the handle bar in front of me and tried to prevent myself from flying out of this contraption. I was so afraid that I couldn't open my mouth. What was going on? Would we survive this? Why had that creature only addressed Jak?

"AHHHHHHH!" Daxter yelled from my right, "I want off this thing!"

Suddenly, a burst of lightning struck the vehicle, sending us tumbling into oblivion. I screamed and tried to grab onto the others as Daxter held on to Jak's leg.

"Find yourself, Jak!" Daddy advised him before disappearing into thin air. I screamed.

"Daddy!" I cried, and I reached over to try and grab Jak's hand, but before I could, another burst of lightning struck our hands, making me retract mine. I had no choice but to watch Jak and Daxter disappear in a flash as well.

"JAK! DAXTER!" I screamed again, my voice going raw. I was still tumbling, but where would I fall? The white light around me grew brighter and brighter until I had to close my eyes.

* * *

"Ow!" I cried after seemingly falling for an eternity. My butt hit the cold, hard ground, and I had to slowly stand up to regain myself. Walls surrounded me on all sides, which was very unlike Sandover Village, and I immediately felt my forehead break out into a sweat. I longed for the openness of the village, so I tried to find a wide space in wherever this was.

Upon further inspection, I realized I was in an alley. _This is not Sandover, _I thought worriedly to myself. Using the wall to steady myself (and nearly stumbling backwards due to the slime on my hands), I quickly walked as I followed a familiar sound. It got progressively louder as I continued to walk until I emerged in a large square.

"Watch out!" someone cried, and I looked up as someone flew dangerously close to my head. Gasping, I ducked until the person passed over me, and when I glanced up again, I noticed the vehicle they were riding on. _That looks like the same design of my A-Grav Zoomer, _I realized, my mouth hanging open, but even more shocking was the place I was standing in right now, where a lot of people were riding on similar Zoomers.

Above my head was a statue of someone, though I didn't know who, and across from me was a large fountain. People walked back and forth aimlessly, a few of them bumping into me in the process, even though I just ignored them. The street was too crowded for my liking, and my mind went into a tailspin once more. _This is definitely not Sandover, _I thought, _Where do I even begin? _

"Watch it, miss!" another person snapped at me, "You're blocking the road!"

I tore my glance away from the people in red uniforms and helmets for a minute to see that I was indeed blocking a lot of people. "Sorry," I apologized meekly before running away once more and hiding in another alley. Everyone stared at me as I hid, but I didn't care; I had to find Daddy, Jak, and Daxter. Where had they gone?

A little bit of filthy water dripped onto my head, and I wiped it off immediately. My eyes suddenly drooped, and after all the excitement of the day, I needed to rest, so I just closed my eyes and began to drift.

Ten minutes later, however, I woke up again; this place was too noisy. Too many people were staring at me as if I were an alien. Couldn't they let a girl sleep without staring?

"Young lady!" a voice boomed, "You're going to have to leave this alley! Citizens are not allowed to stay here! You will be arrested for loitering!"

I looked up at the source of the voice, and I saw it was one of those people in red uniforms. _No! _I thought with dread,_ Arrested?_ _I can't be arrested! I haven't done anything wrong! Wait, maybe they can help me! _

"Arrested?" I echoed, "But I haven't done anything wrong! I don't even know where I _am_!"

"By the order of Baron Praxis," one of them announced, trying to handcuff me, "You're under arrest. We're taking you in for questioning!" It seemed these guys wouldn't listen to me. By now, everyone was staring; I was clearly making a scene.

But as I was about to be forced to follow them, they suddenly received a radio transmission. "_Subject on site in Power Station_!" somebody announced, _"There he is! Move in!_"

"Copy that!" the man handcuffing me replied, and I realized this was the police force of this strange place. The officer unhandcuffed me and said, "Don't go anywhere! We'll be back for you after we take care of this!" I nodded, and the officers flew away.

As I looked around, I thought about how it always killed me if I had to break some rules, but did that man really think I was going to stay here? Especially if I had a clear shot of getting away? This was my only chance, and I was sure Daddy would want me to run. So run I did, with more people watching me as they went on about their business once more. Up ahead was a large palace of some sort, and when I tried to take refuge in there, I found myself colliding with an invisible shield. "_You need purple clearance to enter this sector,_" a robotic voice announced. _Precursors, _I thought to myself, _I've got to find some place to hide in case those officers come back. Oh, Daddy, Jak, Daxter, where are you? _

I was starting to get tired, and as I paused to rest once more, I remembered the name the officer had uttered earlier: _Baron Praxis_. Who was that? Did he rule this city? That officer must have worked for him at this point.

I continued to walk as I passed through a large, marketplace-type area, until I reached a Garden square. Up ahead was a ramp leading to gate, and I didn't know where it went, nor was I interested. I needed to sleep, as it was going on nighttime once more. The gardens reminded me of Sandover, which made the weight of everything that had happened finally crash down on me. I curled up below a tree close to the ramp, closed my eyes once more, and cried myself to sleep.


	2. Finding My Way

Here's the next chapter of "My So Called Haven". I'll try to have chapter twenty of "Haven High" up as soon as I recover from writer's block, but for now, don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog except for Izzy, who is mine.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I noticed was the rain that was pouring down on me, just like it had in the Forbidden Jungle every now and then. _Just my luck, _I thought as I sat up and took a look around. A few people were walking back and forth in front of the ramp next to me, but otherwise, they barely gave me a passing glance. Any hopes of the events of yesterday being a dream were instantly killed upon noticing the palace in the distance and the Zoomers all around me.

All of a sudden, my stomach rumbled loudly, eliciting a few glances from the pedestrians. I clutched myself and tried to suppress the tingling sensation, but I realized I couldn't. I hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday morning, when Daddy cooked. More tears escaped my eyes at the thought of my father. I missed him, Jak, and Daxter, but I also knew that until I found them, I would have to fend for myself.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and lightning flashed above my head, so I quickly crawled out from underneath the tree I had slept under. Covering my head, I walked through the gardens again in an attempt to blend in with everyone else. Naturally, it seemed to work, and I was pretty pleased with myself.

Suddenly, a smell coming from a few of the food stands in the marketplace greeted my nose, and my stomach rumbled again. Whatever was cooking, I knew I had to have some. I was famished! Making my way into this place that was bursting with life (which I learned was called the Bazaar from a few of the pedestrians), I searched for the source of the smell and arrived at a stand with steaming eggs and toast. I found myself licking my lips and widening my eyes as I watched someone else pay for an egg sandwich. _Oh, great, _I thought to myself, _I don't have any money. Unless…_

No. It was wrong. Daddy would kill me if he ever caught me doing this, but it was necessary to survive. My conscience was warring with me, but instinct was pushing me forward. I waited impatiently for the crowd to disperse before moving forward, crouching down, and snatching one of the sandwiches from the stand. Fortunately, nobody noticed, even though I still felt guilty for stealing. I was already changing, for better or for worse. But I didn't know what else to do. After taking the sandwich, I casually made my way over to the fruit stand, and while I whistled, I snatched up an apple. _Strike two, Keira, _I chided myself, _Someone's bound to notice. _

"Hey!" voices cried, "You haven't paid for that apple!" _Busted, _I thought as I turned to face the fruit stand vendor.

"That will cost you two dollars!" he snapped, waiting for me to pay up. But what would I do? I didn't have any money. _Think, Keira, think! _I encouraged myself.

"I'm sorry, sir," I apologized, "But I don't have any money right now. I promise I'll repay you."

The vendor shook his head. "I need that money now," he demanded, "Or else I'll call the KG."

I scrunched my nose in confusion. "KG?" I asked, not knowing what that was. There was still so much to learn about this city, apparently.

"Krimzon Guard," the vender explained impatiently, "You must be from out of town." _That's for sure, _I thought to myself, gulping.

"Pardon me, sir, but I think someone else is stealing from behind you," I lied, pointing, and as soon as the vendor turned his back to me, I hightailed it out of there. This was so unlike me, to lie and steal, and my conscience yelled at me for committing such depraved acts, but I had to. Voices shouted from behind me, but I kept running. Where would I hide next?

I soon heard the clicking of boots on the ground, and more of those Krimzon Guards chased after me. The last thing I wanted was to be captured by one, so I put on a burst of speed. Pushing through the crowd, I continued to run until I was back where I started in the gardens. As I climbed up the ramp, the gate opened in front of me with a squeak and a hiss. I ran inside the small room in between the two gates, and the screaming of the KG faded to a whisper behind me. I was surprised they weren't trying to chase me all the way here, and I wondered why. The second gate opened after a few cogs turned, and a voice announced, "_Opening outer shield_."

_Outer shield? _I thought as I stepped through the archway to the other side, where a warp gate similar to the one in Daddy's hut greeted me. _What is this place? _I thought as I pocketed the stolen breakfast and jumped through the gate. After a few seconds of nothing, I landed on the other side, gazing down at the original gate from this high ledge. This place was quiet and peaceful, and the only sound I heard was my feet touching the cool grass beneath me. To my right was a moving platform, and in front of me was another platform that was stationary. I was curious to see where it would take me, so I stepped on it and kept my footing as I moved downhill through some caves. This whole new world was full of surprises, so I didn't know what to expect next.

With a lurch, the platform stopped, and as soon as I stepped into the open again, I gasped in surprised delight. All around me was a forest not unlike the Forbidden Jungle, and a gentle breeze blew the trees and plants back and forth. Butterflies flew all around me, and for the first time in a day, I found myself actually smiling. _Daddy would love this place, _I thought as I sat down in front of a small lake that obviously led to a much bigger body of water. And taking out my sandwich and apple, I crossed my legs and began to eat, appreciating the forest around me.

When I was finished devouring my breakfast, I decided to explore this area a little bit, patting the trees and branches next to me. I wondered if I could use some of the stronger branches to make a tent. There was no way I was going back to that horrible city when I had a slice of home right here. It wasn't exactly Sandover, but it was still comforting all the same.

Back to making camp. Daddy had shown me a long time ago how to build a tent using my surroundings, and he had also taken me, Jak, and Daxter on camping trips when we were young. My heart ached at the memory, but I told myself to be strong until I could find them again. Making my way further into the forest after climbing up a steep hill, I entered the second half, where a large tree in the middle greeted me. The branches looked strong enough to shield me from the elements, and I noticed a hole large enough to fit someone of my size. After checking for any animals, I crawled inside, tapped on the bark a little bit, and decided this was where I would camp out. I would have to find food around the forest, but I would not go back to that city. Not yet, anyway.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

As the next week slowly passed by, I figured out one thing: nobody visited the forest. And I later found out why.

A growling noise woke me up a week later, and as I hunted for food in the forest, I wondered what that noise was. A Lurker? That shark that used to live off the coast of Sentinel Beach? I wasn't sure.

After plucking some blueberries out of a nearby bush, I heard a rustling next to me, and when I looked up, a flash of black caught my eye. With a feral screech, something popped out of the leaves, and I noticed a medium-sized, reptilian creature, with metal armor and a yellow skull gem in the middle of its head. "AHH!" I cried, running for a stick, grabbing it, and holding it out in front of me. I was going to defend myself no matter what.

The creature sprinted towards me on all fours, and standing my ground, I waved the stick in the air, striking it over its head and stunning it for a minute. Grabbing the blueberries I had picked, I made a run for it. It seemed that that wasn't the only of its kind around here. In the distance, there was a whole army of them, ready to attack me for disturbing the peace. Well, excuse me for living here because I hated that city so much!

Abandoning the camp I had made for myself, I ran back through the cave up ahead and down the hill again as more metal monsters swiped at me from the trees above. They weren't Lurkers, but they were pretty close to them as far as viciousness went. _I guess some things didn't change, _I thought bitterly as I hopped across the rocks and the lake.

Before I could make it back to the moving platform from last week, something suddenly scratched my back, and I glanced up to see more of those beasts blocking my way. "Ow!" I cried, rubbing my back and wishing I had brought some Green Eco with me before this little adventure. I fell to the ground, but turned around as the army surrounded me. All I had were my mechanical skills, as well as the stick in my hand. One of the creatures sniffed my back, where blood was leaking out, which gave me an idea. _So, they're attracted to blood, huh?_

I rested the stick over my shoulder, allowing the blood to leak onto it. "Here, fetch!" I shouted, tossing the stick as far as it would go. Nearly all the reptiles ran away from me and towards the stick, and I saw that as my getaway. Picking myself up, I scrambled back to the platform and sighed in relief as it moved upward, back to where I had first entered. I watched as a few of the creatures realized my deception and tried to chase after me, falling into the abyss below me. Feeling triumphant, I stuck my tongue out at them, feeling elated by the time I was far away enough to avoid the rest of their attacks.

The platform stopped by the familiar warp gate once more, where I jumped in and returned to the other gate leading back to the city. _Well, here goes nothing, _I thought as I reentered that hell that was the city. Would Krimzon Guards be waiting for me? Or better yet, would Jak, Daxter, and Daddy be waiting? I hoped it was the latter.

"_Reentering city_," the gate blared, and I made my way down the ramp and through the gardens and Bazaar once more. I recognized the vendor I had stolen the apple from last week, but he seemed busy with something else, so he didn't recognize me. I tiptoed my way around him and continued to walk through the Bazaar which, come to think of it, was quite fascinating. Don't get me wrong; I still hated this place, but I was curious as well. This was way different from the country.

Fortunately, signs in Precursor lettering were always around to guide me to different spots. Up ahead, red walls surrounded the paths, and that was the Industrial Zone, according to the sign. I decided to go that way to see what was around.

I wasn't going to deny it; I was lost and didn't try to hide it. People were staring at me as I wandered around with my most prized possession in my hands: my wrench. I wanted to try to find my own way around, but I knew it wouldn't hurt to ask directions either. "Excuse me!" I cried to a passing KG cruiser. My conscience was screaming "Bad idea" at me, but I pushed it aside.

The Guard driving the cruiser glanced up at me and slowed down, gesturing to me to move to the side of the road. As I did so, I took in the mask lowered over his head, the bright blue-and-yellow jumpsuit, and the Precursor lettering on one of his shoulders. He didn't look like any of the other guards I had seen around here, so maybe he would be different. _Don't be afraid, Keira, _I said to myself, _You're just asking for directions. But to where? I need a map of this city. _

"May I help you?" the guard asked in a smooth voice, making me become tongue-tied in that moment. I couldn't see his face, but I was curious as to who I was talking to.

"I seem to be lost," I tried to explain as smoothly as possible, "Would you know how to get to…to…umm…?" I trailed off, feeling more and more humiliated as time went on. However, my hand was unconsciously wandering back to my wrench again, and the guard seemed to understand.

With a slight chuckle, he replied, "Ahh, you're looking for the racing garages?"

Well, that wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for, but I nodded all the same, my curiosity getting the best of me again. "Racing garages?" I asked.

The guard nodded. "You'll want to go to the Stadium section," he explained, "Just follow this path through the slums and past the Fortress. That should take you there."

I was really confused, but what else was I to do? I couldn't find the others, and I had to look for some place to stay where I wouldn't fall prey to anymore creatures I couldn't kill. "All right, thank you!" I said to him, smiling a little bit, but then realizing with dread that I didn't know where the Fortress was, "But wait! Could you tell me where…?"

He was gone before I could get my question out. _He was half helpful, _I thought, turning on my heels and continuing through the Industrial Zone. But before I arrived at the Slums, something above my head caught my attention: a tower with electricity shooting out of the top of it. Making my way up the ramp next to me, I arrived at the doors of the tower, where a yellow lightning bolt was engraved into it. _Is this the Power Station? _I asked myself, _Never mind. It's not important anyway. _Turning around once more, I walked back down the hill and towards the exit of the Industrial Zone.

* * *

Hours later, I was hopelessly lost in the Slums. This city was _huge_. Or at least, much bigger than Sandover ever was. In Sandover, I knew exactly where everything was; this dystopia, on the other hand, would take years to figure out. _Daddy, Jak, Daxter, wherever you are, I hope you're okay. _I wasn't all right, but they must have found safe places to go.

Even though it had been a week since I arrived here, I didn't know anybody and nearly got myself killed in the forest. Well, I would try and stay alive here. For my sake and my friends' sakes.

I was now hopping across a ditch and making my way through another strip of the Slums. By now, I was filthy; I smelled of dirt, sweat, and blood, and my feet were dirty on the bottom. Hopefully, the racing garages, wherever they were, would have some showers. All around me, a few small children were playing in the streets with toys I had never seen before, and a few guards were strolling around. I hid my face as best as I could just in case they were still looking for me because of my stealing from last week.

Just as I was itching to stop and rest, a mechanical voice from out of nowhere startled me: "_Remember,_" it announced, "_Even your friends can be enemies._"

I whipped my head around and noticed a standing voice box right next to me. There was a yellow question mark right above it, and the announcement seemed to be pouring out of it. Who was that that was addressing the city? Was that Baron Praxis?

The message then changed, but the voice was still the same: "_All Metal Heads must die!_" Metal Head? What on earth was a Metal Head? All these questions burned in my mind, and then I decided I wanted to stop walking. To my left was one of those one-seat Zoomers not unlike my A-Grav Zoomer back home. After looking around for a second, I slowly approached it, climbing over it so that I was straddling the vehicle. It was odd; the design was exactly like mine. Perhaps that was why I had no problem starting the engine. The Zoomer lurched for a minute before cruising at a steady speed. The wind whipped my hair back behind me, and I found myself enjoying the ride! This definitely beat walking barefoot any day. But I realized nobody was stopping me from just taking it. Maybe it was part of public transportation.

I drove carefully, remembering those days back home when I would take my invention out for a test run. I even remembered lending it to Jak and Daxter so that they could drive through Fire Canyon. My heart sank at these memories, and suddenly, it wasn't just the wind making my eyes grow wet. Thankfully, nobody could hear my sobs as I drove past the large, red building that I assumed was the Fortress. A few screams echoed from some of the small vents, and I closed my eyes in horror. What the hell was going on in there?

Soon, the streets became narrower. I carefully maneuvered my way through the twists and turns of the Stadium section at last, and I thanked the Precursors that that guard was able to help me somewhat. I passed underneath an archway, making a left turn until I arrived at the Stadium itself.

By the Precursors! It was amazing! It was the largest structure I'd ever seen, and Zoomers looking slightly different from the ones I had seen already flew all around my head. Approaching a narrow pathway where some red lights flashed, I dismounted from my Zoomer and headed inside. This must have been the racing garage!

A few people walked by me, and I tapped one woman on the shoulder. "Excuse me," I began, "But what kind of jobs are here?"

The woman turned around to face me. She took one look at me, her gaze lingering on my wrench longer than anything else, before she replied, "There's only one job opening left. Do you think you can handle it?"

I didn't really have a choice, did I? I needed to make a living for myself in this hellhole, so why not take a job opportunity if it was available? "Yes, yes!" I exclaimed insistently, "I can handle it! What is it?"

"We need a mechanic around the garages," she explained, "You know, to perform maintenance on the racing Zoomers. You've already got a lot of tools in your pocket from what I can see. Here's my contact information." She slipped a card into my hand, which only revealed her name as Izzy, as well as a phone number to call.

"I'm Izzy," she introduced herself, "And I'm the racing coordinator for the Mar Memorial Stadium of Haven City."

"Keira Hagai," I replied, shaking her hand, "It's very nice to meet you." _Haven City, _I thought to myself, _So that's the name of this place! _

"Meet me here first thing in the morning," Izzy told me, "And I'll see your skills with Zoomers. But first, you should check out the Class Three Race. It's about to start soon!"

Oh, Precursors! Class Three Race, Haven City; all these names were starting to hurt my head. To clear my mind of this confusion, I followed Izzy to the bleachers, where many of Haven City's citizens were taking their seats.

"What do you mean by Class Three Race?" I asked as we sat down.

Izzy gave me an incredulous look as if I should have known this already. "You're not from here, are you?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"Just wait till your audition tomorrow, and I'll tell you everything. But for now, enjoy the race."

I held my breath and thought about how Jak loved to race back home. Wherever he was now, I hoped he was catching a glimpse of this. Down below was an intricate, circular track, and racers were preparing to begin the five-lap journey around the course. Three horns blared with three red lights flashing as the race began. The audience around me cheered, which deafened me and forced me to cover my ears; I wasn't used to all this noise, even after a week.

The racers were obviously skilled, but the most popular winning tactic seemed to be knocking the others off course (and blowing up their Zoomers in the process). It wasn't a nice way to play, but considering this city, it almost seemed fair. Five laps went by before the winner was announced; a boy who looked close to my age. He leaped down from his Zoomer and accepted his trophy as the crowd roared in victory. This was already making me curious, and as I walked out of the seating area, I wondered what Izzy had in store for me the next morning. Better yet, I wondered what kind of adventures I would have in Haven City. I would have to make a living here if I were to go about looking for Daddy, Jak, and Daxter.


	3. NYFE Lesson

Here's the next chapter of "My So-Called Haven". I'm going to try and get more updates in this week, since things are going to get pretty busy next week. As always, don't forget to read and review! And enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog except for my OC, Izzy.

* * *

After the race was over, Izzy and I parted ways after she told me where I could find lodgings for the night: in an apartment above the racing garage. After seeing that there was one empty suite, I took out the key Izzy had given me and let myself in, marveling at the furniture that was inside the living room and the one bedroom. But the walls were plain. _Once I make some money, I'll have to go out and buy some curtains and rugs, _I thought to myself, _Just like at home. _I sighed in defeat.

I gingerly pushed the door to the bathroom open and noticed how plain this room was as well. But I didn't care; as long as I didn't have to sleep on the streets, I would be all right until I found the others. Setting my possessions down on the sink, I stripped out of my clothes, turned the shower on, and began to cleanse myself of the dirt, sweat, and blood all over me. Granted, the water wasn't as clean as Sandover, but I couldn't go on smelling like this for the rest of my life.

Patting my hair dry, I crossed over into the bedroom and peered out the window at the city. I had to admit that the view was really something! The Palace was in the center of the city, the mountains were in the northwest corner, and what looked like some sort of factory was on the south side. I sighed again. Jak, Daxter, and Daddy were somewhere out there, and I had to find them, no matter what. Despite everything that had happened to me over the last week or so, I was sure Daddy would be proud of me for fending for myself.

As soon as my head hit the soft pillow on my bed, I was fast asleep, dreaming of my family and friends, especially Jak.

* * *

The next morning, I wrapped my belt with all my tools around my waist after showering, getting dressed, and eating a quick breakfast. The sound of Zoomers echoed through the large windows, and I knew I would have to get accustomed to that after a while. I made my way down to the garages again, where Izzy was waiting for me. With her back turned to me, she wrote something on the wall next to a large, green curtain.

"There you are, Keira!" she cried, turning around to face me, "I was just writing the results of yesterday's race! That kid won the Class Three Race, so now he's going to go on to the Class Two Race!"

_Oh, Mar, _I thought, _I'd better pay attention to all these names. _

"Anyway," Izzy continued, "I promised I would tell you everything about the NYFE races. But first, show me what you've got!" She lifted a sheet from a rather broken down Zoomer.

"Have you had any experiences with Zoomers?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes," I replied, "I built one back home!" _Back home. In Sandover, _I added as a silent afterthought.

"Then do you think you can have this one fixed before the owner gets back?"

"Sure. Let me take a look at it."

"Knock yourself out." Izzy grinned and took a seat in a chair by the green curtain as I knelt down by the Zoomer. Some of the wires looked fried, and I knew I would have to replace them if the engine was ever going to work again. So I diligently got to work, using my favorite wrench and feeling a little more at home that I had when I originally arrived here.

"So, who owns this Zoomer?" I asked as I continued to perform maintenance on it.

"Erol," Izzy answered immediately, pushing a lock of black hair behind her ear.

"Erol?" I asked.

"That's right. You're not from here. He's the Grand Champion of the NYFE racing championships. He's held that title for years. Nobody can touch him. People have tried, but he's just too good."

My heart beat even faster, and I nearly cursed Izzy for telling me this. If I couldn't fix this Zoomer the way this Erol needed it to be fixed, I was dead yakkow meat. Plain and simple. "Tell me more about these races," I insisted, finishing the wire replacement an hour later and moving on to the brake inspection.

Izzy grinned, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "There are three class races," she explained, "The Class Three, Class Two, and finally the Class One race. Class One is the championship race, where Erol defeats the champions of the lower class races. If you win the Class One race, you get to meet the Baron in the Palace, but it almost doesn't matter; Erol _always_ wins!" She rolled her eyes, and I got the feeling she didn't like Erol for some reason.

"You don't like him, do you?" I asked, tweaking the brakes until they were in perfect shape once more.

"You've got that right!" Izzy exclaimed, "He's let his Grand Champion victory get to his head a little too much. He's so full of himself!" I just shrugged; there was no way I could pass judgment yet, seeing as how I didn't know Erol.

"Have you raced against him?" I asked, finishing the brakes and now checking the dashboard.

"Just for sport," the race coordinator replied, "But my job is to get these races organized." I nodded, and then backed up and nodded proudly at my work. The Zoomer was all fixed up, and Izzy got up from her chair to inspect it herself. She started the engine slowly, and it no longer rumbled loudly, but hummed quietly. She grinned and faced me.

"Not bad, Keira," she complimented, "You've got a talent. You're hired!"

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you!" I cried, hugging her, "Thank you so much! I won't let you down! I promise!"

"Not a problem," Izzy assured me, "Come on, I'll show you around."

There was more to the Mar Memorial Stadium than I had originally thought; Izzy showed me all the different racing garages, where people stored their Zoomers, and she also took me up to the press room. With the push of a button, the track down below changed, and I took it all in with fascination. She smirked the whole time.

"You know," she started, "You can start your own racing team once you've had a little bit of experience here."

This grabbed my attention. "I can?" I asked excitedly.

Izzy nodded. "Just talk to anyone here, and they'll help you along," she said.

I sighed. This was going to take a while to process, but I already felt like I had a handle on this part of the city somewhat. Now, just to find a way to find Daddy, Jak, and Daxter, and everything would be perfect.

"Thank you, Izzy," I thanked her gratefully, "Thank you for everything."

* * *

As a few more days passed by, I stayed in my garage while I watched citizens pass by back and forth. I already started rearranging everything to make myself at home as much as I could. The green curtain that was in there was a huge plus, that was for sure.

As I continued renovations on this place, I suddenly thought about my father and friends again. It was almost like they had just disappeared. Where could they have gone?

"Hello?" a deep voice suddenly called out through the green curtain I was sitting behind, and I stopped what I was doing to listen a little bit more closely. _That voice sounds familiar, _I thought, _But from where? _

"May I help you?" I echoed back.

"I was told a new mechanic was here," the voice replied. Curiosity was eating away at me, and I just had to see who was there, so I pulled the curtain aside to get a better look. Upon seeing who was there, I gasped and dropped my wrench to the ground with a _clang_, but it went unnoticed.

Standing in front of me was the Krimzon Guard that I had asked for directions from a few days ago. He still had the blue and yellow jumpsuit on, as well as the red-eyed mask lowered over his face. _I didn't think the city was that small, _I thought to myself.

The guard seemed surprised, too, but not as surprised as I was. "You again," he said by way of a greeting, "So you managed to find this place after all."

At first, I couldn't say anything. I never thought I would see him again. "Yes, I did," I replied, "Thank you. So, what can I do for you?" My voice shook a little bit, but I forced myself to calm down.

"I'm here to pick up my Zoomer," he answered, using his index finger to finally lift up the mask, "I'm Erol."

Now, I _really _couldn't find anything to say. I was sure my eyes were wide as I finally saw his face. Back in Sandover, the only boy I had found attractive was Jak, but now looking at Erol, I had to admit he wasn't bad-looking either. _Keira, _I chided myself, _Don't think like that. Don't forget about Jak. _

But Erol! By the Precursors! Izzy didn't tell me he was good-looking. He had a handsome face, light, orange-red hair, and hazel eyes that seemed to change shades depending on the light. I knew it was rude to stare, but I just couldn't help it. _Jak, _I thought sadly, looking down to pick up my wrench from the ground. I just didn't know what to do at that point, except for giving Erol his Zoomer back.

"And you are?" he asked with a warm smile on his face and his head tilted to the side.

I could feel my cheeks turn tomato red, which I tried to suppress. "I'm Keira," I almost mumbled, twirling my wrench in my hands, "Here's your Zoomer." I walked over to it, not meeting his gaze, as I grabbed the handlebars and moved it close to him. From the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me, his eyes scorching into my skin, and I felt a little uncomfortable. What would Daddy say?

Erol went to grab the handlebars at the same time I was letting go of them, and our hands touched for a second. Drawing my breath, I let go of the Zoomer and gasped, which made him laugh. "You don't speak much, do you?" he asked, grinning wolfishly.

I ran my fingers through my blue-green hair and shrugged. "Depends," was all I said, "You needed your Zoomer back, so I gave it to you. So, what's with the jumpsuit?" There were too many bright colors on it, and it almost hurt my eyes.

"I'm the Commander of the Krimzon Guard," Erol responded, "And you? How'd you get to be a mechanic?"

I finally forced myself to look at him, and he was still grinning at me in a similar fashion that Daxter did. _Daxter_. "Well, I…" I started, but then trailed off, for suddenly bouncing into the workshop was Izzy herself.

"Erol!" she cried, walking over to him, "You're here early!" There was a slight edge to her voice, which made me curious. Why didn't she like Erol? He seemed perfectly nice to me.

"I was just speaking with your lovely new mechanic," Erol replied smoothly, grinning at me again and sending a blush crawling up my cheeks, "You sure know how to find the right ones, Izzy."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Enough with the sweet talk," she snapped, rather unfairly I may add, because Erol wasn't being rude to either of us, "But yes, I found Keira walking through the garages. She asked me for a job, and I gave her this one."

"It was the only one left," I added meekly, "But I hope you like what I did to the Zoomer. I fixed the wiring in the engine, refurbished the brakes, and made minor adjustments to the dashboard." My awkwardness disappeared almost instantly whenever I talked about mechanics. I was proud of my work, and I wanted the others to know that, too.

"I may have to take it out for a test run, then," Erol decided, winking at me before leading the Zoomer down to the track. Izzy and I followed suit.

"And Izzy," the Commander added, facing the racing coordinator, "Don't talk like that to me again in front of Keira or else I'll have to demote you." Izzy frowned, and I just stared back and forth between them. Something must have happened for her to dislike him so much. Oh, well.

"Here goes nothing," he announced, hopping onto the Zoomer and lowering down to the race track.

"And…go!" Izzy cried, waving a flag in the air, and with that, Erol took off down the track. We watched him in silence, and my eyes were glued to the circular track down below. He was good, there was no denying that. He had lowered that creepy-looking mask over his face again, but otherwise, he knew the track really well. He went for five laps not unlike the Class Three Race I had seen the other day, and at one point, he cheered in victory over his fixed racing Zoomer. Next to me, Izzy rolled her eyes, and as Erol finished his test run around the track, I finally decided I could no longer remain silent about this.

"What's your problem with Erol?" I asked, "He was nice when he arrived to pick up the Zoomer."

"Trust me, Keira," she assured me, facing me with a hard gaze in her eyes, "You'll find out soon enough, if you start working for Erol." And she didn't say anything else after that, so I decided to just drop it for the time being.

Erol approached us once more, clutching his Zoomer proudly in his hands and raising his mask once more. "I must say, Keira," he gasped, "You did a good job on my Zoomer. Here's a little tip for your troubles." He pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to me.

_Whoa! _I thought. "Oh, I don't think that's necessary," I insisted, but Erol was even more insistent.

"Take it," he said in an almost demanding voice, "For your hard work." He smiled, making my heart beat wildly.

"I hope to get to know you better while you work for me," he added, patting me on the shoulder, "Thank you for fixing the Zoomer. And Izzy, try to behave yourself while I'm gone." He winked at her, and she gave him a neutral look as he stored the Zoomer in a garage across from my workshop and left, probably to go patrol the city.

_Damn! _I thought, suddenly thinking of something obvious, _He said he was the KG Commander! I should have asked him about Daddy, Jak, and Daxter!_ I sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry," Izzy piped up, "You'll be getting a ton of people who want you to tune up their Zoomers, not just Erol. You're good, Keira. You're really good."

And in that moment, I began to get the feeling that maybe Haven City wouldn't be so bad after all. _Just hang in there, Daddy, Jak, and yes, Daxter, _I thought, _I'll find you. If Erol ever comes around here again, I'll ask him._

I would also find out more about the KG Commander. He was an interesting person, and he seemed pleasant enough, so maybe Izzy was just being paranoid over nothing. I was in a new city with a ton of new people; I would have to handle myself. Starting now.


	4. New Discoveries

All right! Next chapter of "My So Called Haven" is here! Read, review, and enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog. The setup of the races is also my idea.

* * *

To my surprise (and Izzy's mounting relief), Erol rarely stopped by the garages, except to check up on the two of us or if a race was taking place. We were technically working for him, so he always wanted to make sure we were getting the job done. On the off chance that he did show up, the two of us always made sure everything was to order. As I learned over the next few months, any slight mishaps would result in an arrest. I had seen that myself.

One day, I was walking over a bridge in the Stadium section, looking around at this completely new setting, when a scuffle began to take place in front of me. "But sir!" a man cried, trying to break free from the Krimzon Guards surrounding him, "I was only trying to feed my family! My baby brother hasn't eaten for days!"

"You still stole the fruit!" one of the guards snapped, "And for that, we have to use brute force to arrest you. Come with us! The Baron will deal with you back at the Fortress!" And with that, the KG began to lead him away, presumably back to the Fortress. I remembered the screaming I had heard when I first drove to the Stadium section, and I shivered. Was Erol even aware of what was going on in his own profession? _That could have been me that day, _I reflected, clutching my chest.

Suddenly, another guard looked up at all of us bystanders. "All of you!" he snapped, "Go back to what you were doing! There's nothing to see here!" Boy, they didn't need to tell me twice! I was out of there before any of them could say, "Baron Praxis". When I was far enough away, I took a deep breath and decided that since I had enough money, it was time to redecorate my apartment.

To be honest, I went all out with the renovation; I bought a curtain, carpets and plants. Anything that would remind me of Sandover was a plus. When I wasn't performing maintenance on racing Zoomers, I was taking care of my living space. I also bought some food and had to teach myself how to cook with all this new technology. Through it all, Izzy and Erol were both around to help me get situated, and I was thankful for that.

While I was setting up plants not unlike the ones Daddy used to keep, Izzy entered the apartment. "Wow," she gasped, "I like the décor. Very…unique." She smiled warmly.

"Thanks," I replied, beaming, "It's just like the village I used to grow up in."

Taking a seat on the recently redecorated couch, Izzy said, "You never did tell me where you were from. I could tell you were an outsider from the minute you first walked into the garages." I blushed at her blunt honesty.

"I'm from Sandover Village!" I announced proudly, but feeling slightly embarrassed after Izzy started giving me a perplexed stare.

"Did you say _Sandover_?" she asked, emphasizing the name a little too much.

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

The race coordinator shook her head. "You couldn't have been from there," she insisted, "Are you sure that was the village?"

I was slowly growing annoyed by Izzy's doubtful tone. "I grew up there for my entire life!" I snapped, "I'm sure." But when my friend shrugged, I just sighed.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I realized, tears forming in my eyes. _Damn it, Keira! _I chided myself, _Don't cry! Don't cry! _

Izzy tilted her head to the side. "Well…" she started, but I already knew: her answer was no.

Reaching into my pocket, I took out some pictures of Daddy, Jak, Daxter, and Sandover Village. "See for yourself!" I yelled, "That's the village! And my friends and family!" Izzy gently took the pictures into her hands and studied them.

"I've seen pictures of this place before," she finally spoke up, "In the ancient Precursor History books." My heart sank.

"But don't you see?" I pressed, pointing at the pictures of all of us on Sentinel Beach, "I'm in these pictures with my friends and father! I'm telling you, I'm _from _there!"

"I just don't see how that's possible. I'm sorry, Keira."

* * *

Later that night, I woke up around midnight, panting and clutching my chest. I had, coincidentally, been dreaming about the day we tested the Rift Rider. I remembered the purple path, that hideous monster, and the white light that caused the others to disappear. This was the first time I had thought about the Rift Rider since arriving in this dump, and I wondered what the dream was trying to tell me.

Pulling my robe on and turning on the lights, I crossed over into the living room, where Izzy had left behind her Ancient Precursor history books after our minor tiff. She was trying to prove to me that I wasn't from Sandover, but I would prove her wrong. Sitting down once more, I reached for the books and began to flip through them, reading the pages so fast my vision began to blur, but the more I read, the more I saw that she was right about one thing: Sandover Village was a thing of the past. _Literally. _

_It can't be, _I thought, _We couldn't have time traveled that day! It's impossible! _

But with that Rift Rider, anything was possible. Grabbing a pencil and paper, I began to scribble some numbers down in an attempt to calculate the time displacement between Sandover and Haven City. I felt dread creep through my veins, though; Sandover was in the ancient books, which made me realize we had to be quite far into the future.

When I was finished with the calculations, I held up my piece of scrap paper in horror. _We've been taken three hundred years into the future? _I realized, suddenly feeling intense homesickness once more, _I really hope Daddy didn't know this was going to happen. _Tears filled my eyes once more at this horrible discovery, and I decided I needed to find a way to get us home. Quickly.

* * *

The more that I realized I was in the future, the more I thought about the construction of the Rift Rider. We weren't sure where it had come from, but it looked simple enough to draw and build. Over the next few days, while I tuned up various racing Zoomers, I drew simple pictures of the machine that had taken us here in the first place. Thank Mar for my photographic memory!

Next to me, a small, green light began to flash, which meant someone had entered my workshop. After checking the live feed, I saw it was Erol, and my stomach flipped over and over again. "Hi, Erol!" I greeted, "What are you doing here?"

"_I'm on break from patrolling the Stadium section_," he replied, so I decided to go out and talk to him for a few minutes. I didn't want him to see my Rift Rider drawings and measurements, so I put them away in a few drawers before stepping outside. I wasn't ready to disclose my upsetting discovery with anyone.

"So," the Commander began, lifting up that hideous mask, "How's my favorite mechanic today?" He grinned, which sent a chill down my spine. I had only known him for a few months, and some of the rumors I had heard about him intimidated me. According to Izzy, he was somewhat of a womanizer, but then again, she had personal issues with him, too. What was a fourteen-year-old girl such as myself to do about this?

"Fine," I replied as smoothly as possible, "You know, just working. Izzy's always got me busy." I forced myself to laugh, and Erol shook his head.

"Ahh, Mason," he replied, suddenly looking around, "She's not around, is she?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered, "Why?"

"If she saw me talking to you, she'd bite my head off."

For some unfathomable reason, I felt my heart sink. "So she's…umm…you know…" I trailed off, hoping the Commander would take the hint, which he did, thank Mar.

Shaking his head vigorously, he replied, "Oh, no! _No, no, no_! We're not dating." I felt happy again, for some strange reason once more, but even stranger was why the Commander was so…so _persistent_.

I nodded and continued. "So, you're the KG Commander, huh?" I asked, "Maybe you can help me out with something." I cleared away some tools and sat down on the bench across from the green curtain.

"I'm looking for my family and friends," I told him, "When I arrived in the city a few months ago, they disappeared, and I haven't seen them since. I was wondering if you would help me find them."

"I could if you give me descriptions." Yes! He was going to help me! Thank you, Precursors!

"Well, their names are Jak, Daxter, and Samos. Jak has blond hair, blue eyes, and a blue top with white pants. Daxter's an orange ottsel, so he's always on Jak's shoulder. And my father, Samos, is short, with a tree log on his head. His skin is green and…Erol?" I stopped my description as soon as I noticed the wide look in the Commander's eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wondering why he looked so nervous right now. That wasn't like him at all.

"Nothing," he assured me.

"Do you know where they are?" I exclaimed, widening my eyes. The Commander shook his head.

"No," he said, "But I will try and locate them for you, if that's what you wish."

At this news, I happily threw my arms around Erol. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" I cried.

Erol held onto me for a little bit longer before pulling away. "It is my pleasure," he replied, grinning again, and my heart beat a little faster.

"Tell me more about this _Jak_," he insisted, crossing his legs and gazing at me.

I tilted my head to the side. "Why the sudden interest?" I asked, but he waved his hand dismissively. I also wondered why he had emphasized my best friend's name so much.

"Just for when I find him and the rest of your family," he said to me.

And taking a deep breath, I began to tell the Commander everything about our adventures in Sandover Village, starting with Daxter's mishap on Misty Island and ending with the Rift Rider we had found at Gol and Maia's Citadel. Naturally, I ended up sharing my terrible findings with him, and I expected him to take one look at me and laugh. Izzy already didn't believe me, so who was to say that Erol would as well?

To my surprise, however, he nodded his head. "That's what I figured had happened," he commented, leaving me thunderstruck.

"You believe me?" I asked.

Erol smiled. "How could anyone not believe your story?" he replied, which made me sincerely hope he wasn't being sarcastic.

"You're kidding, right?" I challenged him, seeing what he would say.

"No, I really believe you, Keira."

_Thank you, Mar! _I thought, _I must not be crazy after all! _"Thank you!" I thanked him again, "I was getting worried for a minute! Izzy doesn't believe me." Erol refused to comment on that after I mentioned it.

"_Attention all drivers!_" a robotic, female voice suddenly announced, "_The Class Two Race is about to begin_!"

Leaning back in his chair, Erol cried, "Ahh, the Class Two Race is about to start! Want to go watch those idiots down on the track try and kill themselves?"

I was sure I turned pale for a minute, but I found myself nodding anyway. "Sure," I gasped, and Erol chuckled before leading me out of the workshop. Up ahead, Izzy was sprinting back and forth between garages, checking out all the racing Zoomers before she lowered them to the Class Two track. Over the last few months, I had discovered how the qualifications to move on to the next class race worked. In between each major race were preliminaries, which determined who got to move on from Class Three to Class Two and eventually to Class One.

"By the way," Erol suddenly began out of nowhere, facing me with a serious expression on his face, "Don't listen to anything my race coordinator might tell you about me."

This surprised me. "Why not?" I asked.

"She's just paranoid. She always has been."

Oh, Precursors! Everyone was telling me so many different things that it was hard to keep track of all this information. However, Izzy had been unnecessarily standoffish towards the Commander, so maybe he was right. "All right," I relented, even though my mind was filled with questions. Izzy waved us into the bleachers, shooting a disapproving look at Erol that only I noticed. After we went through, she shut the gate behind us, and Erol led me over to a private box in the corner. With a gasp, I took in the view; I could see the whole track from up there!

"Like the view?" Erol asked, smirking. I turned to face him.

"Yes, I do," I answered, "Thank you." The Commander looked pleased, and we sat down to watch the race unfold in front of us.

Just like the Class Three Race from a few months ago, the racers crashed into each other and knocked each other off course. _Why does everyone have to play so unfairly in this city? _I thought with a defeated sigh as the boy that had won the last race sped around the track. A few months ago, I would have thought he was innocently trying to make his way to the top, but now that I saw the smirk on his face, I thought differently. I could hear Daddy now: _Don't change who you are, Keira. _

"That young boy down there better enjoy his victory while he can," Erol piped up as the winner of the Class Three Race crossed the finish line after five laps.

"Why?" I asked.

Shaking his head, the Commander replied, "You've still got a lot to learn about Haven City. I'm going to race in the championship, that's why." _Oh, _I thought, _Right. _

"And you're going to win?" I quipped.

"Uh huh. Nobody's ever been able to beat _me _in a race."

I had to admit I was curious as to how and why he loved racing so much, but I figured he would tell me eventually, as I told him about how I arrived in this city.

* * *

Once the race was over, Erol and I made our way through the crowd, which seemed to part for us as we walked. "Look!" some people whispered, "There goes Erol!"

"The Grand Champion? Where?"

"Over there!"

The voices buzzed through my head, and I glanced at Erol to see what he would say, but he continued to walk as if he didn't hear a word anyone was saying. Instead, he approached the teenager who had won the race. He was standing excitedly with his friends and clutching his second trophy, and he oddly reminded me of Jak back in Sandover. Although I was sure he had played dirty like the rest of the racers, I saw how excited he looked; he was just glad he had won.

"Ahem," Erol began, clearing his throat. The boy turned around and did a double take, nearly dropping his trophy in the process.

"Commander Erol!" he cried, "It's good to see you! I didn't know you were watching the race today!"

"I was in the stands," Erol replied, shaking his hand and smiling, "And I'm here to wish you good luck in the Class One race in a few months. Of course, when you're racing against _me, _you won't make it past the first lap."

_Ouch, Erol, _I thought to myself, _Was that really necessary? _

The boy, who had introduced himself as Gary, turned red and mumbled, "I can take you on."

Next to me, Erol tensed up, but relaxed a second later. "You really think so?" he asked, "We'll see about that. I've won every single championship race here." And ushering me away, we began to leave the bleachers once more. I turned to face Gary, who looked extremely nervous. Precursors! What was I getting myself into?

"Congratulations, Gary!" a familiar voice cried, and we both spun around to see Izzy vigorously shaking the boy's hand, "You did it! You get to move on to Class One!"

"Excuse me for a minute, Keira," the Commander whispered, moving away from me and gently taking Izzy by her upper arm, "But I need to have a talk with my racing coordinator." I didn't want to know what would happen from there.


	5. South Town

Here's the next chapter of "My So Called Haven"! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far!

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

I was barely back in the workshop area when I suddenly heard a few harsh voices echo off the walls. They weren't yelling, but they were angry. "What have I always told you about making a scene after a race?" I heard Erol hiss.

"To only make a big deal if you won," Izzy replied back just as angrily, and I tiptoed closer to see the two of them standing close to each other and shooting daggers at one another, "But other people deserve to have just as much glory as you do."

Suddenly, Erol grabbed the race coordinator roughly by the shoulders and frowned at her. "Remember our deal, Isabella," he warned her in a tone of voice I assumed was used whenever he dealt with the Krimzon Guard, "Unless you want to be thrown back in jail."

Izzy huffed before closing her eyes and shaking her head. Tears ran down her cheeks all of a sudden, which shocked me. Why was Erol being so _scary _right now? Was Izzy right about him? She nodded, her eyes continuing to produce tears, as the Commander left. I hid in my workshop as he passed by, and I didn't emerge from behind my green curtain until he was gone.

The sound of crying brought me back to my senses, and I exited the garage to find Izzy sitting on a bench up ahead. Her face was buried in her hands, and she was crying and shaking. "Everything okay?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

Izzy looked up, quickly drying her tears and resuming her hardened expression. "Yeah," she answered, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

But I gave her a tissue anyway, and she pressed it against her eyes. "Thank you," she choked, and I patted her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "But I heard what Erol said to you just now." Izzy suddenly clutched the tissue in her hand and glared at me.

"What deal was he talking about?" I asked.

"That's none of your business!" Izzy snapped, bearing her teeth at me, "But believe me! Erol's an asshole! Don't believe anything he says!"

_Here we go again with the information, _I thought, _I don't know who to believe. This city is pretty cruel from what I've seen so far. Don't change who you are, Keira. Just like Daddy advised you. _

* * *

As evening arrived, I found myself upgrading Gary's Zoomer for when he would race against Erol in a few months. These were direct orders from the race coordinator, who told me that the Grand Champion himself had no idea about this assignment. I was nervous about carrying out tasks that Erol didn't know about, but over time, Izzy assured me there was no need to worry about him.

"What Erol doesn't know won't hurt him," she said to me as she checked up on me, "You just worry about upgrading Gary's racing Zoomer and leave the Commander to me."

I paled. "Are you sure?" I asked, "He seems so…so…"

"Intimidating?"

I nodded.

"He can be. But I'm not afraid of him. Let him talk rough to me. Or you." She sighed and looked away.

"What was he talking about, though?" I asked, knowing that she could snap at me just as easily for trying to get in her business.

"I told you," Izzy replied in a much softer tone, "It's not your business to worry about it."

I suddenly felt myself frown. "Just don't use me to make him angry, okay?" I asked in a somewhat harsh tone.

Izzy glared at me. "I'm not trying to use you," she replied, "I can't believe you would even say something like that."

"I was just reminding you…" I started, but I closed my mouth as soon as Izzy's eyes flickered. Clearly, this was a sensitive topic for her.

"Listen to me, Keira, and listen good," she advised in a rough tone of voice, "This is not a nice place, this city. It's about survival, and you're going to have to be on your toes at all times! Understand me? Do not trust _anyone_!"

I gulped. So did that technically mean I couldn't trust her, either? I nodded anyway, listening to the sound of racing Zoomers out on the track.

"Look, Keira," the race coordinator began once more, "I'm sorry to put you in this position, but that's the way of Haven City! It's you and your gut! You haven't been tainted by this city yet, but you'll see over time."

I nodded once more as I finished tweaking Gary's Zoomer. I was so confused as to all this information, and I wanted it to stop. I just wanted to go home. But where was home?

Suddenly, the green light flashed, and I pressed a button on the side wall. "Who is it?" I asked in a slightly shaky voice.

"It's Gary!" Gary cried from the other side. With a grin, Izzy immediately jumped down from her bench and went to let him in. _I hope she knows what she's doing, _I thought as the Class Two winner entered my workshop and looked around in awe.

"Izzy said you were good," Gary said to me, "Thanks for tuning up my Zoomer. I'll need it if I'm racing against the Grand Champion himself."

"Think you can win?" Izzy asked, her blue eyes narrowing, "At least try to, anyway. He needs to be knocked down a few pegs."

Gary nodded. "I can try," he assured us, "But meeting the Baron in the Palace, though? I'm not sure if that's what I want."

"What's the matter with Baron Praxis?" I asked, figuring I should know.

Both Gary and Izzy glanced at each other and shuddered. And that was enough of an answer for me. I then remembered those messages I had heard in the streets when I first arrived here. _Erol must be close with him, since he's the KG Commander, _I deduced from the little information I knew.

"So, Keira," Gary began, clearing his throat, "How'd you get involved in mechanics? You're really good."

"Thanks," I mumbled, "But I've been building Zoomers for my whole life." Gary nodded.

"I hope I'll be seeing you around more," he told me, smiling a little bit and making me blush.

"Say," Izzy suddenly spoke up, "Why don't we all take a break from this and go out for a drink? Keira hasn't seen the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon yet!"

Saloon? Drinks? Why didn't I like the sound of that? "Oh, I don't really drink," I tried to argue, but Izzy and Gary were already yanking me up from my seat.

"Come on!" Izzy cried, "Don't you want to see the rest of the city?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then let's go!" I gulped, but allowed the others to lead me out of the garages. I didn't know where this Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was, so I had to follow them.

We ended up driving for a while, even passing by the Praxis Palace once more. I hadn't seen that structure for months, and I felt depressed again at the thought of being here instead of in Sandover, where I belonged.

"Here we are!" Izzy announced cheerfully, parking her Zoomer and apparently feeling a lot better from earlier, "Hold your breath when you go to the bar itself."

"Why?" I asked, but a few minutes later, I found out why. We pushed our way through the small doors and took a look around at the different patrons. Some of them were already drunk, others were smoking cigarettes, and large groups were playing drinking games and holding loud conversations. This was so different from Sandover, I realized. Not that the villagers didn't know how to have fun, of course, but it was a different kind of fun.

"Park it right here, Keira!" Izzy announced, patting a stool in front of the bar. I cautiously sat down as I noticed a lot of people staring at me. I figured it was because they had never seen someone like me in a place like this before.

"Welcome to the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon!" an accented voice, followed by a bout of bad breath, announced, and I unconsciously found myself waving my hand in front of my face.

"I am Krew," the large man in the hover chair introduced himself, "What can I get you three tonight, mmm?"

I almost couldn't open my mouth to speak. I had never seen anyone as large as Krew back in Sandover! He was so big that his clothes were starting to tear at the seams a little bit. When he smiled, he revealed his yellow teeth, and I backed up a little bit. Next to me, Izzy giggled to herself, covering her mouth.

"Southern Comfort and Lime!" Izzy ordered. I faced her and began to panic.

"It's my favorite drink here," the race coordinator explained, "You should try it!"

"I'll have a beer!" Gary decided. Krew faced me next.

"Umm, I guess I'll have what she's having," I said, pointing to Izzy.

"Coming right up, eh?" Krew replied, and he turned his back to us and began to make our drinks.

"Don't worry, Keira," Izzy whispered to me, "If you don't want to get drunk, you don't have to."

I gulped and nodded. "Okay," I decided. I had never had alcohol before, so I wasn't sure of my tolerance levels. While I waited for Krew to finish, I looked around the bar once more and watched as a man accidentally spilled his drink on his friend. I had to laugh a little bit at the brawl that ensued, but my laughter quieted down as soon as I flicked my gaze to someone else. _Erol_!

He wasn't with anyone else, and he was sitting in a corner of the Saloon by himself. He was drinking beer out of a bottle and watching the three of us. No, watching me! I assumed he visited this place a lot, from the looks of it.

"Izzy, Gary," I whispered under my breath, "He's here."

"Who?" Gary asked, drinking his beer.

"Erol," I hissed. Izzy glanced over her shoulder at the Grand Champion and narrowed her eyes.

"There's no avoiding him, is there?" she muttered, "I hope Krew hurries up with our drinks." And just like that, Krew slid our Southern Comfort and Limes across the bar.

"Enjoy, mmm?" he said, licking his lips and moving on to tend to someone else.

"Cheers!" Izzy declared, clicking her glass against mine, and I immediately began to take a sip through the straw that was included. _Whoa! _I thought, _This is strong stuff! _My throat burned from the unfamiliar taste plus the lime, and I coughed and sputtered before righting myself. Once I got over that, I realized the drink wasn't half bad.

"Keira?" Izzy asked, resting her hand on my shoulder, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I replied happily, "This isn't bad at all!" I took another sip, slowly getting used to the alcohol. In fact, it tasted so good that I decided to order another one, along with Izzy. The two of us clicked our glasses again, tilted our heads back, and downed our drinks. Over time, I began to feel a slight throbbing in my head, and all the lights blurred around me, but I didn't care; it was so beautiful. I was feeling much happier than I had in months. _If Daddy could see me now, _I thought to myself with a giggle.

By the time I got to my third one, however, I was starting to feel a little sick. "Whoa, Keira!" I heard Izzy cry from next to me, "Don't drink that if you feel sick!"

I waved my hand at her. "Don't you worry about me," I assured her in a slightly slurred voice, "I'm the Green Sage's _daughter_! I'll be fine!" I took another sip and smacked my lips once the drink was all gone.

"Someone's having a good time tonight," Gary whispered, but it sounded much louder than it was. Voices were buzzing around me; everything was amplified, and the lights grew brighter. Izzy sipped at her drink a little more and said something to Krew, but I didn't catch it. Suddenly, a glass of water appeared in front of me, which I assumed was for me.

"Drink this," Izzy ordered, "It should help you feel better."

"I told you," I snapped, "I'm fine." But I drank the water anyway. In his corner, Erol was still watching us, but a minute later, he got up and began walking towards us. I raised the water glass to my lips, trying to will the headache to go away, but it wouldn't.

"Well, well," he started, smirking at all of us, "You didn't tell me you would be here tonight." He chuckled as Izzy gave him a death glare.

Flicking his gaze towards me, he continued, "Someone's been having fun tonight. Is she drunk?"

I laughed, resting my hand on Erol's arm. "You know," I slurred, "It's funny you should say that. Izzy thinks I'm drunk, and now you! I'm not! I'm perfectly okay!"

"We've got everything handled, Commander," Gary assured him. Erol laughed, and in that moment, I felt the contents of my drinks rush up to my mouth, and to my horror, I began to vomit all over Erol.


	6. Aftermath

Wow! I'm so sorry for not updating this story in a while! I hit some serious writer's block, and outside drama also got in the way, but I'm back now! I'd been trying to write this chapter for a while, but I was drawing a blank. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story! I really appreciate it! :)

P.S.- The whole Izzy/Erol drama may seem like it doesn't have anything to do with the story, but I assure you, it does.

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Keira and Erol belong to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_Oh, Precursors! _I thought, feeling more and more mortified as I felt Izzy and Gary take me gently by the arms. My mouth smelled like vomit, and I could feel a few drops run down my chest and onto my clothes. Next to me, Erol was just staring at me with a narrow look in his eyes.

"Ugh!" I groaned, "Just leave me alone!"

"Shh," Izzy whispered, "We'll get you back to the garage."

I stole a glance at Erol again, who was just starting to wipe off the remnants of my drink. Never in my life had I felt so embarrassed, so _ashamed._ _Daddy would kill me! _I thought, feeling like I was going to throw up once more.

"At least you threw up on that arrogant bastard instead of one of us," Gary tried to joke to make me feel better, but I only felt worse.

"I'm so embarrassed," I groaned.

Izzy reached out to pat my shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have forced you to drink."

I swiped her hand away as I felt another headache begin to form. "You shouldn't have used me to take digs at Erol!" I snapped. Izzy recoiled in frustration.

"You're still drunk," she insisted, "You don't know what you're saying."

"I _do _know! You used me!"

"Shh," Gary whispered, "We're almost there."

"I hate it here! I want to go home! I want to go back to Sandover!" Suddenly, another wave of vomit exited my mouth.

"Shh," Gary repeated, "Just get in the Zoomer." I climbed in slowly, stumbling as I did so, and I felt Izzy steady me gently.

We cruised through the streets quietly, and even though my eyes were glazed over, I still took in my surroundings. This stupid city was my home now, and I would have to deal with it in whatever way I could.

As soon as we returned to our apartments in the Stadium Section, Gary and Izzy dropped me off at my apartment after assuring that I was all right, and once I drunkenly found my bed, I instantly collapsed and fell asleep.

* * *

_Bam! Bam! Bam! _"Keira?" a voice cried out.

"Ugh," I groaned to myself as I sat up and felt a throbbing headache. Now that I wasn't drunk anymore, I had to suffer through the amplified noises around me.

"It's Izzy!" Izzy shouted from the other side of the closed door, "Can I come in?"

I glanced down at my shirt and noticed it smelled like vomit, so I shrugged it off and slipped on another top before going to the door.

"Hey," the race coordinator greeted as she stepped inside, "How are you feeling this morning?"

I sighed. "Horrible," I replied, "I'm having fuzzy memories of last night. Did I…throw up on Erol?"

Izzy nodded gravely. "You did," she reported, "You must have a nasty hangover."

"Whatever," I said, clutching my head, "It's over now, anyway."

"I brought you this," Izzy announced, handing me a cup of tea, "It should help." I nodded in gratitude as I took the cup from her hands and slowly began to drink it. We retired to the couch, where we took seats across from each other.

"Keira," Izzy began, "I thought about what you said last night. About how I was using you to get back at Erol."

I narrowed my eyes. "What about it?" I asked. Out of all the horrible incidents that occurred last night, that one stuck out like a sore thumb.

"You were right," my friend admitted, "I guess I was sort of using you, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just that I have a history with Erol, and I let it get to me after the Class Two Race." She looked away for a minute.

"What is the deal with you two, anyway?" I asked, sipping more of my tea, "You looked like you wanted to kill each other yesterday."

Izzy took a deep breath. "I don't want to bore you with the whole thing," she explained, "But basically, he forced me to work here under his watch. And Mar knows it's tough to find a decent job around here."

"Why were you crying, though?"

The race coordinator gave me another look and replied, "He threatened to throw me back in jail. I know you heard that part of the conversation. It's all part of the deal: I work for him, and he doesn't incarcerate me in the Fortress again." I got the feeling there was more to this deal than she was letting on, and I was curious as to why she was in jail for a while, but I guessed it was none of my business.

"Anyway," Izzy continued, "I promise not to use you in order to get back at Erol. Forgive me?"

I sighed as my head pounded again. I closed my eyes for a minute to alleviate the pain. "I forgive you," I assured her, finishing my tea, which was starting to go warm by now.

* * *

Later on that morning, Izzy and I were working around the shops when Gary stopped by to visit. "Hey hey!" he greeted a little too cheerfully, "How are my two favorite Haven City women doing?" He flicked his gaze to me as he said this, and I felt my cheeks flush.

"I'm back to normal," I informed him, and he broke out into a grin.

"That's what I like to hear," he said, and Izzy and I chuckled.

"Erol got what he deserved last night, though," he said as he took a seat across from my work bench, where I was fixing up another broken Zoomer.

"Is he really that bad?" I asked, earning incredulous stares from both Izzy and Gary. Sure, I heard some things about him that seemed suspicious, but he never talked back to me, never acted like a jerk to me, and most of all, he was trying to help me find Jak, Daxter, and Daddy. I'd say those were reasons not to think badly of him.

"Hell yeah!" Gary replied, "Izzy can tell you all about that. Especially when he-"

"So, Keira, are you excited about the Class One Race in two weeks?" Izzy suddenly asked, interrupting Gary before he could finish and shooting him an icy stare. I just glanced back and forth between them, but decided to let my curiosity go for now.

"I'm excited to see Erol in an actual race," I replied, "Since he's the Grand Champion."

"That will be a sight to see," Izzy piped up bitterly, "Baron Praxis is going to be there, too."

I widened my eyes at this. "Really?" I asked, "I haven't seen him in person yet."

"You're not missing much," Gary chuckled, "Believe me." I just rolled my eyes and returned to the Zoomer I was fixing, and Izzy flicked her gaze to the book she was reading and making notes in. From the cover, I could see that it was a betting book, which I assumed was for the bets different Havenites made on various racers.

Two hours later, I was putting the last touches on the Zoomer when we all suddenly heard a voice in the passageway leading to my workshop. "Well, well," Erol greeted, lifting his mask away from his head and glancing around at all of us, "I see you all are working hard. Even after last night." I tore my gaze away from his face as I felt his stare scorch into my neck. Why was I feeling this way all of a sudden?

"Isn't that what you want us to do, Commander?" Gary asked, setting his Class Two trophy down on the bench.

Erol narrowed his eyes at my other friend before looking at me again. "If you two would excuse me," he said, nodding to Izzy and Gary, "I'd like to speak with Keira alone."

I gasped audibly. Speak with Erol? _Alone? _This was going to be awkward. Izzy looked ready to blow a fuse as she and Gary got up and silently left the workshop. Oh, I wished they had stayed so that I wouldn't feel even more humiliated than I already did.

Before the Commander could say anything, I began hastily, "Look, I'm sorry about last night. That wasn't supposed to happen and you have no idea how embarrassed I was, and-"

"It's all right," Erol cut in, resting a gloved hand over my lips, "No need to apologize." He smiled a genuine smile, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

"Thank you," I sighed, feeling relief as my heart rate slowed down significantly.

"So, what's going on?" Erol asked as he took a seat on my bench. I assumed he had a break right now from patrolling the streets, so I decided to take a break myself.

"The Class One Race is in two weeks, right?" I asked, just to make sure I would be able to attend.

"That is correct," the Grand Champion answered, smirking to himself, "Are you going?" I nodded, which seemed to make him immensely happy for some reason.

"I don't want to keep you here past your break," I spoke up after that, "But I'm curious: why'd you arrest Izzy and throw her in jail?"

At this, Erol's smile disappeared and a frown took its place. "Because she killed a Krimzon Guard," was all he said, leaving me shocked as he bid me goodbye and walked out of the workshop.

* * *

My mind was in shambles for the next few hours as I tried to make sense of what Erol had told me about Izzy. She had _killed _someone? She didn't mention that to me when I first met her! Did this mean that I couldn't trust her once again? I was bring told different things, and I was going crazy trying to fit everything together. Adding that to the fact that I was _still _trying to figure out how to rebuild the Rift Rider, finding my missing friends, _and _sorting out my confusing feelings for the Commander in the blue-and-yellow jumpsuit, I felt like I would explode.

If Izzy really did kill a Krimzon Guard, it sure didn't show in her face. I knew I would have to find a tactful way to ask her about that. Maybe Erol had arrested her for the sake of Haven City, whatever the circumstances were. Over these last few months, I continued to watch the Krimzon Guard, and I noticed they weren't as brutal as they were when I first arrived. Maybe they weren't all bad. Erol certainly wasn't the devil that Izzy and Gary were making him out to be.

I also continued to watch the race coordinator herself. She seemed like she was much more flustered over the next few days, probably due to the amount of work Erol was giving us. He was a very demanding man, which intrigued me for some reason. These next few months following this revelation, however, would prove to be very interesting for me, especially the events that would take place.


	7. Ambiguity

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story! I appreciae it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Two weeks later, it was a new month. And time for the big race everyone had been talking about.

The night before, Gary stopped by to visit me while I inspected his Zoomer one last time. "I'm a little nervous," he confessed to me, "I'm racing against Erol tomorrow."

I sighed. I had seen how good Erol was the day I had met him all those months ago, but I still hadn't seen him actually race yet. I wasn't sure who I wanted to win more, him or Gary. "Don't worry," I assured him, "You'll be great!"

"Thanks, Keira," Gary thanked me, "You always know how to put a bright face on everything." I smiled and handed him back the Zoomer.

"Here you go," I announced, "I readjusted a few of the wires in the engine, but you should be good to go for tomorrow!"

"Trust me," Gary replied, resting his hand on mine, "You're good." I felt my cheeks flush as my friend grinned at me. Nobody, not even Jak, had been this forward with me. Except for Erol, but he was a different story completely.

"Thanks," I muttered, "Here, you better go rest up for the night!" Waving, I watched as he nodded and left the garage. Then, I decided it was time for me to leave as well. As I packed away all my tools, including my favorite wrench, I took a look again at the Rift Rider sketches I had drawn months ago, and I decided that after the race tomorrow, I would dedicate more of my time to finding the materials I needed to rebuild it. I wanted to tell Izzy about it so that maybe she could help me find supplies, but after what Erol told me, I wasn't sure.

No matter. I _would _find a way out of here. I _would _find my family and friends. And closing and locking the drawer, I drew the green curtain tightly, shut the lights off, and went home.

* * *

The roar of the crowd the next afternoon was deafening. Even though I had gotten used to it by now, I still had to cover my ears as most of the Havenites that lived in this section flocked into the bleachers. My heart beat rapidly in my chest. Why was I so nervous? I wasn't even the one racing!

After treating myself to a quick lunch, I headed over to the press room, where Izzy was pressing some buttons on the wall and manipulating the track down below. She glanced out the window every few seconds to check on her work before continuing. "Got the track picked out yet?" I asked in a smooth, but jovial voice. I even put a smile on my face as she turned around to face me.

"Almost got it," she announced, "I just have to make a few more adjustments and…there! All done!"

I looked out the window to see the massive track come into view, along with the three turbo boosts side by side. "Wow," I gasped, forgetting about my suspicions towards her for a second, "Impressive!"

Izzy smirked. "I'm glad you like it," she teased, "Now we'll see who wins. You won't believe all the bids I've recorded over this one!" She reached for the book she had been looking at two weeks ago and quickly opened it.

"Most of the bets here are on…" she trailed off as she sighed, "Erol." She closed the book in disappointment and then readjusted her high ponytail.

"You'd better get down to the track," she warned me, "The race is about to start. Go ahead, I'll be right down." I didn't move for a minute as I continued to stare at her, and then nodding, I left the press room. At least things weren't as awkward as I thought they would be.

"On your way to the race?"

I whirled around to see Erol heading for the bleachers as well. He was clutching his mask in his hands and grinning at me. In that moment, my heart skipped a beat, and I hated myself for it. For the last few months, I had been developing a slight crush on Erol. He was charismatic, pleasant, and trustworthy, not to mention he was attractive as well. _Jak, _I told myself, _Think about Jak. _

"Yes, I am," I replied, "Good luck today!"

"Thank you, Keira," the Commander thanked me as he lowered his mask. Nodding, I walked away and barely caught his next sentence: "But I won't need it." I chose to ignore it. It was a pretty arrogant statement, but now wasn't the time to argue about it.

I climbed into the bleachers as I spotted Izzy on the other side. She was dodging different screaming Havenites as she plopped down next to me. "Ready for this?" she asked.

"Uh huh," I replied, "I wonder who will win." She looked away, and I already knew her answer. While we waited for the race to start, I found myself glancing at the race coordinator's hands. Those same hands that gave me different Zoomers to work on. Those same hands that had murdered someone. My blood ran cold just thinking about it.

Suddenly, Izzy looked up and widened her eyes. "Look," she said, "Baron Praxis is here. And so is his daughter!"

I looked up to where she was pointing. "That's the Baron?" I asked in surprise, "And he has a daughter?"

"Uh huh," Izzy answered, "Her name's Ashelin. She's around my age." I narrowed my eyes so that I could get a better look. Praxis was a large man, probably in his fifties or so. Just looking at him, I realized that his voice was the one from those announcements scattered all around the city.

"Ashelin Praxis," Izzy mumbled to herself, "Where do I begin with Ashelin Praxis?"

"What's wrong with her?" I asked in a harsh voice, though I suspected it was because she was related to the Baron.

Before Izzy could answer, the race suddenly began, and Gary, Erol, and the others took off in a cloud of dust. Izzy immediately began to cheer for Gary, pumping her fist into the air until her arm was sore. I cheered as well, though for who, I wasn't sure. Both of them were friends of mine. I couldn't pick one over the other. Instead, I watched as they sped around the track insistently.

Keeping in line with his title as the Grand Champion, Erol made good use of the turbo boosts placed around the track, and he even left the others in the dust for a while. Down below, some of the racers ended up crashing into the walls after sharp turns and exploding, causing the crowd to roar in shock and disappointment. Next to me, Izzy didn't seem fazed; this kind of incident must have happened all the time.

By the time the fourth lap began, only Gary, Erol, and three other racers were left, and I found I was getting more and more anxious. Gary trailed behind Erol for most of the race and even overtook him at one point. But Erol never gave up. He was so determined to win. And so was Gary.

I glanced away from the track for a minute to watch Baron Praxis and Ashelin again. They seemed to be just as into the race as I was, though I was surprised they were even here. Then I realized they were here because of Erol. Who _wasn't_, except for me and Izzy?

Erol knocked into Gary a few times, sending our friend flying before he continued. Gary spun around a few times before righting himself once again. Next to me, Izzy was starting to shake in anticipation, and she clenched her fists until her fingernails dug into her palms. I was also holding my breath; the race was a close one. Erol and Gary were flying parallel to each other, but at the last minute, Erol sped up slightly ahead of Gary and crossed the finish line, ending the Class One Race.

All around me and Izzy, the crowd roared with happiness as Erol's face appeared on all the monitors and confetti sprayed onto the tracks. Down below, I could see how disappointed Gary looked as he dismounted from his Zoomer and walked off the track, and Izzy looked steamed as well. I didn't react at all, except for thinking that Erol truly lived up to his title as Grand Champion.

"No surprises here," Izzy snarled as she got up and walked out of the bleachers. I followed a few steps behind her, but she only continued to walk faster as she went to go greet Gary.

"Keira!" a voice cried out to me just as I was exiting. I whirled around to see Erol sauntering over to me as he clutched a Class One trophy in his hands. By now, Izzy was long gone.

"Erol!" I replied, "Great racing today! Congratulations!"

Erol smirked. "Thank you," he replied, "The race was in the bag." Again, arrogant, but I nodded anyway.

"You had some tough competition," I commented.

"Gary was good for what he was," Erol replied, "But I told him a long time ago that he wouldn't win. And I was right."

I frowned, and Erol must have picked up on my discomfort. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "That was arrogant to say. I was just…stating the facts." I remained neutral.

"Well, I better get back to the Fortress," he announced, "Bye, Keira." I watched as he walked away triumphantly, and that was when I realized how I had really felt after these months: I had wanted Erol to win.

* * *

"Damn!" Gary cursed as he, Izzy, and I sat in the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon once again. Both he and Izzy had bottles of beer in their hands, and I had water. I wasn't going to drink anymore. I wouldn't lose control again. For my family and friends' sakes and mine.

"I lost!" Gary continued to vent as he downed some of his beer, "I actually lost to that arrogant asshole!" Izzy patted his shoulder in sympathy.

"I feel bad, too," she commented, "But we'll find a way to beat him. We just haven't come up with anything good yet. It figures he won, though. He's the Grand Champion."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Gary replied, resting his head on the table.

"You both raced really well today," I piped up, glancing at Gary, "It was a close call at the end."

Gary looked up from his hands to stare at me. "Whose side are you on?" he asked, "Ours or his?"

I closed my mouth and frowned. If I answered, both of them would bite my head off. On the other hand, why should I have had to keep my mouth shut on everything? "I was just sharing a fact," I responded, gripping my cup of water.

"There is a war going on, Keira," Izzy piped up, "It's Haven City and the Underground versus the Metal Heads and Praxis, respectively. If you don't pick a side, you'll be toast."

"The Underground," I echoed, remembering the name that Erol had mentioned in passing one day when he had come to visit. They were a rebel group led by someone only referred to as "The Shadow", and they were fighting against Baron Praxis and the Krimzon Guard. I didn't know much about them, and I suddenly began to wonder if Izzy and Gary weren't secretly involved with them. If so, what would this mean for me? For Erol?


	8. The Months Go By

Oh…my…God! I'm so sorry this took so long to update, but I promise it won't happen again! Thanks to everyone who has been patient throughout waiting for this. Sorry if this chapter isn't as good, or if Keira is OOC, but I just got out of writer's block for this story. Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I really appreciate them! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

As time went on, I began to feel fully adjusted to Haven City, which wasn't too hard with Izzy, Gary, and Erol by my side. They were pretty much my only friends in this Mar forsaken city, and I wasn't about to give them up for anything. Even if that meant enduring Izzy and Erol's snipe fests. To be honest, I was growing tired of it all, and I was beginning to wonder if that wasn't the reason I always felt tired in the mornings.

"I'm just making sure she's doing her job," Erol would say every time I asked why they were having tense discussions, "I can't afford to have any of my employees…lapse."

I shivered. Whatever he meant by "lapse," it couldn't have been good. "Well, you are the Commander," I pointed out, "Of course she'll listen to you. Even if she doesn't like it." I turned my back on him as I continued to work on his Zoomer, which he had brought to me for the usual inspection after another four months had gone by.

"Erol?" I continued, "Why did Izzy kill a Krimzon Guard?" I knew it was a long time since I had first discovered that fact, but now that some time had passed, I wanted to know.

Erol sighed as he sat down on my bench and removed his mask. "Because they were trying to repossess her home," he explained, "She couldn't pay her rent, so the KG went to her house to take her possessions. She wouldn't let them in the house, so she grabbed a gun she had stashed away and killed one of them before he could step foot in her home. She was then deemed as a dangerous criminal to the rest of the city. I was there when it happened, and I arrested her on the spot, even though she tried to resist and almost shot me in the process. She spent a good amount of time in jail before she finally pleaded for me to let her out."

"And she ended up working here," I concluded, "That's the deal, isn't it? If she works for you here, she won't go back to jail!" At least now, things were starting to make more sense to me than they did when I first arrived here.

Erol smiled. "Smart girl you are, Keira," he complimented, patting me on the shoulder, "I knew you'd figure it out." I just glanced down at the ground, not knowing what to think of this story. Izzy should have just let the KG do their job without interfering!

"I just can't believe she didn't tell me that before when I asked," I whispered. Now, it seemed certain that I couldn't trust her like I had originally thought.

"Welcome to Haven City," Erol replied breezily, shrugging, "You'll find a lot of people keeping secrets here."

* * *

The days passed by slowly and uneventfully, until one Saturday afternoon when I stumbled upon a stroke of luck for the first time since I had arrived in Haven City!

I was walking through the Industrial Zone when I suddenly heard a loud _crash_ from somewhere above me. _What was that? _I thought to myself as I flinched from the sudden noise. Next to me was a ramp, so I decided to jog up the whole length of it in order to see what was going on.

_Crash! _There it was again. Many of the Havenites aimlessly walking around in that area flinched and ran as far away as possible, but I moved closer, determined to uncover the mystery behind all this. It got louder as I approached the Power Station, and just up ahead, I could see the door hanging ajar just as a piece of wood flew out and landed on the ground in front of the building.

"Why the heck does the Baron always give me all this worthless _junk_?" a voice suddenly spoke up as a metal plate joined the growing pile of wood.

"Doesn't he know that this takes up some valuable _space_?"

I sidestepped the pile of junk, but studied it with wide eyes all the same as images flashed in my memory. _Hmm, _I thought as I approached the Power Station. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see some of the other Havenites giving me weird stares, but I ignored them. Right now, I wanted to see what was going on.

When I was close enough, I knocked on the door, causing a loud _bang _to echo from inside the Power Station. "AHH!" the voice screamed, "Who's there? What's going on?"

I cleared my throat and stepped forward. "Hi," I greeted tentatively, "I just wanted to see what all this noise was."

The man finally made his appearance. He was mostly bald with white hair on the sides of his head, and he wore large glasses that practically obscured his face from my view. He also wore gloves on his hands and a jacket to protect his body from possible chemicals, or whatever he was working with all over the Power Station.

"Oh!" he gasped, "I-I've been tossing out some old junk that the Baron keeps sending this way. What am I gonna do with it, ya know? I've always got projects going on here, and I'm running out of room for storage! Just look at the pile outside!"

I glanced over my shoulder at the pile he was referring to, where the pieces of wood and the metal plate caught my eye once again. I could practically see the wheels turning in my head as an image of the Rift Rider flashed in front of me. _Hmm, _I thought, rubbing my chin.

"I'll buy everything in this pile from you," I suggested, gesturing to everything, "If you're not going to use it anymore."

_Crash! _This time, the man hit his head on a shelf above him as he gasped in shock. He gaped at me as he took in my offer. "Y-you mean it?" he asked, "You have something you can use it for?"

I nodded. "I do," I confirmed, "Whatever you don't need, I'll take it."

The man considered me for another minute. "Sure!" he cried, "You can have it! In fact, you can have whatever you want! I don't need it anymore, and it's not doing any good in here!" He sprinted back and forth in the Power Station, seeing if there was any other "junk" that he wasn't going to use.

"How much do you want for it?" I questioned, reaching for my purse so that I could take out my wallet.

He gasped again. "Oh, I could never ask you to do that," he said, "It's on me!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just take it. I'm Vin, by the way."

"Keira," I introduced myself, shaking his hand, "Keira Hagai. Thank you very much for the supplies, Vin. I'll take good care of them."

* * *

Even though I really didn't need to do so, I glanced around the garages quickly before taking all the wood and metal plates Vin had given me and setting them across my working table. I picked up my drawing of the Rift Rider again and studied it, noticing how the materials bore a striking resemblance to my pictures of the machine that had taken us here in the first place. With enough time, welding, and measuring, I could take all this supposed "junk" and recreate a replica that was just as good, if not better, than the original. My hope for finding a way home, which had disappeared for a while, suddenly returned, and I happily got to work measuring the wood and seeing if all this would be enough.

"What are you working on?"

I jumped and dropped my ruler, for I wasn't expecting anyone to enter my workshop while I was busy. I turned to see Izzy standing in the doorway. I thought about the story Erol had told me about her, and I decided I was going to ask her about it, even if she got angry with me.

"Nothing," I lied, "Just a secret project."

"Gary and I are going out for drinks. Want to come?"

I sighed and moved to stand in front of my table, blocking my drawings from her line of sight. "Thanks," I said, "But I should probably continue working on this. Mar knows how long it's going to take." Izzy just nodded, her blue eyes narrowing a little bit.

"Izzy?" I continued, "I have to ask you something." The race coordinator just waited for me to continue.

"Is it true you killed a Krimzon Guard because he was trying to repossess your home?"

Izzy's mouth dropped open as she folded her arms. "Who told you about me killing a Krimzon Guard?" she demanded.

"Erol," I answered without stammering or looking away, "He mentioned it a few days ago."

Izzy responded by balling one of her hands into a fist and pounding the wall next to her. "_Erol_?" she spat, "He told you that about me?"

"So it's true!" I realized, folding my arms, "I never thought you were the killing type, Izzy."

"I'm not," Izzy insisted, "Keira, you don't know everything about me. Yes, I killed a guard, but it's not for the reason Erol told you."

"Then why did you do it?"

I wasn't sure if it was just me, but Izzy suddenly looked sad as she tore her gaze away from me. "I don't want to talk about it," she choked, "It's not something I'm proud of, Keira. I still have nightmares about it to this day, but of course, Erol wouldn't tell you that part. He's trying to make me look bad, that's all."

She looked so upset over it, and I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but how could I when I didn't even know her side of the story? Why would Erol have any reason to lie about her motives? Even with the amount of time that had passed, I was still as confused as before, and I hoped to alleviate that very soon.


	9. Dance With the Devil: Part One

Next chapter is here in a fast update! Thanks to Rebecca B. for the review, as well as everyone else who has been reading up to this point!

PS- I'm really not big on romance. I don't write romance stories, so this is one of my first attempts at writing it. Let me know what you think of it! It's not explicit, more like hints, but I still want to know how I'm doing with it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Izzy and Gary are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Studying all of Vin's unwanted "junk" proved to be worthwhile; all his parts were conveniently perfect for the Rift Rider. After drawing it for my entire time in Haven City, I decided it was time to start building it. This was going to be tricky. How was I going to build it without people seeing?

"Yo, yo, yo!" Gary greeted as he entered the garages. I glanced up from a piece of wood as I watched him approach me.

"How's my favorite mechanic today?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. I felt my heart skip a beat as I remembered Erol referring to me as his "favorite mechanic". Was Gary trying to flirt?

"I'm good, thanks," I told him, smiling as well, for I was feeling much more hopeful than I had before.

"What are you up to?"

I shrugged. "Just work," I answered, which wasn't entirely a lie, "It's been getting crazier these days!"

"Tell me about it," Gary agreed, "I got a letter in the mail today asking me to join the Krimzon Guard!"

"_What?_" I gasped, dropping the pen I had been holding. Gary was being recruited into the Krimzon Guard? What were the odds?

"I didn't tell Izzy because…well, you know about her and the Krimzon Guard, right?"

I nodded, unable to take my eyes off my friend. "I can't believe this," I whispered, "So what are you going to do?"

Gary groaned as he shrugged and sat on a bench across from my green curtain. "I don't know," he answered truthfully, "Reading that letter today…it made me so confused. I don't _want _to be in the guard, but who knows what the hell the Baron will do to me if I decline?"

I gulped, feeling slightly nervous for my friend. When I had first met him, he said he wanted nothing to do with Praxis, and here he was, facing a decision to join his ranks.

"You need to do what you think is right," I advised him, "That's what my father always said." I felt my chest constrict a little bit; that was the first time I had spoken about Daddy to anyone in a long time.

Gary snorted. "I would if it were a simpler decision," he said, "The Baron will probably kill me if I refuse to join." He leaned back and closed his green eyes.

"Besides," he continued, "This means I'll be working for _Erol_ now. Damn it. First he beats me at the Class One Race, and now I have to work for him." He balled one of his hands into a fist. I just remained silent as he continued to talk.

"You won't tell Izzy any of this, will you?" he asked.

I passed him a water bottle from my refrigerator. "Not a chance," I assured him, "Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

Everything was changing now. Gary was possibly joining the Krimzon Guard, Izzy was avoiding me, and Erol was getting bolder with his advances by the day. All pretenses of finding my friends seemed to be forgotten with him, and it made me sad that that task had appeared to take a backseat.

In another few months, it would be the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Haven City. One day, I was sitting at home as I stared at a picture of me, Jak, Daxter, and Daddy from Sandover. Everything was so much simpler then, and I stopped the tears from flowing down my cheeks. I missed them now more than anything, and I was frustrated that I couldn't seem to find any leads.

"Anything new about my family?" I asked Erol one evening when he happened to be in the Stadium section and wanted to visit me in my apartment.

"Nothing," Erol answered, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Keira."

"No, don't apologize," I told him, "I know they're out there somewhere. I _will _find them."

"Of course you will," Erol agreed, smiling as he leaned back on the couch.

"So I'm off duty tonight," he announced, "Want to go out for a while?"

Thank the Precursors he couldn't see my face, for I had my back to him while I tended to one of my plants. I felt a faint blush crawl up my cheeks. This was the first time he had asked me if I wanted to hang out with him without Izzy and Gary. _A date? _I asked myself, _No, it can't be. He probably doesn't like me like that. Not like…like Jak did. _

"Sure," I agreed, facing him and willing the redness in my cheeks to go away, "Where do you want to go?"

Erol already seemed to think of something. "I know the perfect place," he said, "Just follow me." And with that, the two of us exited the apartment. He led me down to his Zoomer, which he had parked in front of the garages, and he climbed on as I held onto his waist. As he revved up the engine, I glanced over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of Izzy watching us with a look of disdain on her face before turning away and going back inside the garage. I'd have to talk with her later. Right now, I was going with Erol for a while, and who knew _what _would happen from here?

The drive through the city was relatively quiet. Neither of us said anything, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. It was one of two people enjoying each other's company.

Oh, _Precursors. _Did I actually just say that?

"Almost there," Erol announced, and I held onto his waist even tighter now.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see," Erol said, grinning to himself, "I don't want to ruin the surprise now."

It turned out that the "surprise" location was the top of Praxis Palace. In all my months in the city, I had never been in there. I had always been intimidated by its tall structure, but actually going inside was different.

"Just follow me," the KG Commander whispered, and nodding, I followed him inside. The first place we went was an elevator, and as soon as we got on, it accelerated up the entire length of the elevator shaft, and I felt like I was going to get dizzy. Erol just laughed as he steadied me, grabbing onto my shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he said as the doors opened to the top floor, "You get used to it after a while. That was the express elevator."

"Really?" I asked, "I'd like to take the local elevator next time."

Erol just chuckled again as he took my hand and continued to guide me over to the location he was talking about before. We made a few more turns through the hallways until Erol finally pushed a door open ahead of me.

"And…here we are!" he announced, allowing me to step in front of him.

As soon as I made it outside, I gasped in awe; we were on the outside terrace, which was revolving very slowly so that we wouldn't get dizzy. Up here, there was a panoramic view of every corner of the city, and it was unbelievable! It was the best view of Haven I had ever seen! It was on par with the view of Sandover I used to have from my bedroom! It was so beautiful that I wanted to cry. I let a few tears of joy slip down my cheeks, which Erol quickly dried away with his gloved hands.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'm all right," I assured him, "This is a wonderful view, Erol. Really, it is!" Erol smiled to himself.

"I'm glad you like it," I could have sworn I heard him mumble, but I wasn't sure.

We found a few chairs to sit down in, and sit down we did as I took in the beautiful sunset once more. Haven seemed much better up here; I wasn't caught in the depression in the streets down below.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes before Erol finally broke it. "So tell me more about your village," Erol piped up out of nowhere.

I sighed nostalgically and began recounting everything I could remember about Sandover Village. "It was wonderful!" I exclaimed, "There was always a beautiful sunrise and sunset, the beach was very close to my house, and there were all sorts of islands not too far from the village. Yakkows were everywhere, too, and the way the palm trees swayed in the wind…" I trailed off, closing my eyes and sighing again. Thinking about Sandover made me think about my friends, especially Jak.

"But that's all in the past," I added a minute later, "Literally."

Erol sighed. "You really miss it, huh?" he questioned. I nodded, leaning my head on his shoulder before I realized what I was doing.

"Oh!" I gasped, "Sorry." I quickly pulled my head away, but I suddenly felt Erol wrap his arm around me as he drew me in closer. My heart beat a little faster now.

"It's okay," he said, "It was fine where it was."

_Did he just say that? _I thought to myself, _Erol, you're killing me here. _

"To answer your question from before," I continued as if there had been no interruptions, "Yeah, I miss Sandover."

"Do you like it _here_, though?"

I glanced up at the redheaded Commander as I thought about his question. Did I like Haven City? As much as I wanted to say no, a part of me realized I would have been lying to myself. Despite my misgivings towards Haven, I realized it had started to grow on me in an odd way. I wasn't sure what it was, but the Stadium section was almost starting to feel like home.

"Yeah," I repeated, "I do." Erol seemed satisfied with my response.

"I've grown up here my whole life," he explained, "I first got into racing when I was around your age."

_Around my age, _I thought, _Damn, he's making himself sound as old as Daddy._

"How old is 'around my age'?" I asked, chuckling a little bit at his choice of words.

"Fifteen, sixteen," Erol answered, waving his hand a little bit, "Around that." _Got it, _I thought.

"I loved the competition," he explained, "I never got to win anything in school, so I tried out for racing. And you see where it's gotten me now. I never told anybody that until now."

I tried to picture Erol as a little boy. It was hard, but it made him more human, that was for sure. He was so earnest with all his answers that I doubly couldn't understand why Izzy was so against him. She just didn't know this side of him.

"My family also loved racing," Erol continued, "My father was the Grand Champion for a long time, and I want to be more like him."

I exhaled as I thought about my own father, who had always wanted me to grow up to be an Eco Sage like he was. In fact, the Red Sage had even said that I had the potential. However, being here now…I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted anymore. I was only fourteen!

"I'm sure you're just like him," I assured him, patting his shoulder as I leaned my head against him again and turned my view back to Haven City. In that moment, I felt something that I hadn't felt since Sandover. I didn't want to admit it to myself at first, but after looking back over my time here, I came to one simple conclusion.

I was falling for Erol.

* * *

By the time we returned to the Stadium section, I climbed down from Erol's Zoomer. "I had a really great time with you, Erol," I told him.

"It was fun," he agreed, "Want to do this again tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Sure," I said, "I'd like that."

"Good night, Keira." With that, the Commander lowered his mask and flew away. I sighed as I watched him go before I heard someone clear her throat from behind me. I turned around to see Izzy emerging from her office as she watched me.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi," she retorted, "Did you just get back from being with Erol?"

"I did," I explained, "He took me to the top of Praxis Palace and showed me the view of the city! He was really nice, Izzy."

Izzy placed her hands on her hips as she just frowned and shook her head. "I guess I can't stop you from hanging out with him," she admitted, "I hope you know what you're doing. But don't come crying to me when he screws you over!" And with that, she turned, flipped her black hair over her shoulder, and walked away.

"I won't," I muttered to myself.


End file.
